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Taliban ::
After the terrorist attacks of last September, there seemed to be a newfound rush to understand both Afghanistan and Islamic fundamentalism. The result of that rush was a lot of information about what was happening in Afghanistan, and how those events fit into the larger political and economic picture of the region. But what seemed to be lacking in all that information was a certain amount of knowledge -- specifically, what caused all the desperation that we see today? and what, exactly, is there to be done about it? Of course, the administration had a pointed answer to the latter of the two questions (bomb the Islamic fundamentalists into submission), but their reasonings had nothing to do with the former question. Then on the other hand, those with reservations about such military aggressions were able to talk about the manipulative foreign policies that brought forth the economic desperation of the country seemed incapable of coming up with a suitable vision to compete with military retaliation. As a result, after the rush to find all this information, there was a consistent feeling of confusion.
A full year before the terrorist attacks, before the Taliban became such a household name in the West, Ahmed Rashid published his book, aptly titled Taliban. It provided a sober, informed description of how the Taliban worked, about the fundamentalist vision that drove its leaders, who they fought against, and the foreign policies that left the country of Afghanistan completely destitute and ripe for a takeover by just such an organization. The book’s timeline was a bit difficult to follow, as the description of the contemporary history of the country was interspersed with stories from ancient history of the entire region. However, once his narration became grounded in a single era, Rashid was able to describe not only the current situation, but the political fights, the bloody battles, the manipulation, and the clandestine operations by outside forces that played roles in its ultimate culmination.
Though Rashid gives reasons for the Taliban’s success in the country and shows why they proved to be popular amongst young Muslims, he ultimately condemns them, not only for their violent, repressive laws, but also for their gross misinterpretation of Islam to suit their ends. However, he is also critical of the practices of foreign power, who provided support to the country while it suited their needs, then abandoned them when their wars ended or their interests turned elsewhere. The end result is a full picture of the Taliban and of Afghanistan, a picture provides real knowledge about what happens there continually. I found that Taliban was exactly the sort of book people needed in their rush to understand this newfound enemy, but unfortunately it was largely overlooked.
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